Monday, July 21, 2014

Feature and Giveaway: The Hazards of Sex on the Beach by Alyssa Rose Ivy

One broken heart, one drink too many, one steamy night in the sand...

No one warns you about the dangers of drinking with a broken heart. At least no one warned me. I never imagined I'd fall for a musician, especially not one like Chase, but then again I never expected to have my heart broken into a million pieces by the frat guy I thought was the love of my life.

Sometimes it's the rash decisions, like hooking up in the sand, that lead you to the best places—the kinds of places where it's possible to let yourself fall in love again.

He took a strand of my hair and studied it. “Is this your natural color?”

“Yes.”

He dropped the strand. “I’ve never dated a girl with blonde hair.”

“Well, you’re not dating me.”

He gently brushed his fingers down my bare arm. “No, but I want to kiss you.”

“Then kiss me.” I was used to pushy guys. The kind that knew what they wanted and took it.

“Okay.” He smiled before leaning in.

The kiss was hesitant at first, the kind of kiss that gets your whole body excited because you know there’s more to come. I waited—hoping he’d take it further. His hand slid just under the hem of my shirt, brushing against my skin. The touch was light, but it was still enough to get a response out of me. I moaned.

That must have been what he was waiting for. He deepened the kiss, pushing into my mouth with such force I was taken by surprise. I kissed him back, enjoying the sweet taste of his mouth, and the way his hand slowly inched its way up my stomach. Blazer moved from zero to sixty. I didn’t mind it. I moved onto his lap, welcoming the arm he put around me to pull me closer. I wrapped my arms around his neck.

His hand moved higher, cupping my breast over my bra. I was drunk and hot, and so turned on I was going to lose it.

That’s when the door to the roof opened. The loud laughter of a group of girls pulled me half out of my lustful stupor.

“Want to go for a walk?” His question was asking something else entirely. I knew that when I answered with an enthusiastic yes.

Blazer held my hand as we made our way through the crowds. I looked briefly for Gabriella, but I didn’t see her. The normal Cara would have called her to tell her I was leaving with a random guy—but was Blazer random? We had chatted for hours already.

Before I could worry about it long, we were walking along the dark and nearly vacant beach. It was January on the South Carolina coast, and the crowds were months away.

“You never told me your name.” He said it as a statement as he led me further away from the party.

“Cara.”

“Hi, Cara. I’m Chase.”

I smiled. “Isn’t it a little late for introductions?” I stopped and turned toward the ocean.

“It’s never too late.” He drew something on my arm with his finger. The sensation felt good. I closed my eyes.

“You look so gorgeous. The moonlight, that look on your face.”

I opened my eyes and his face was inches from mine. “If you’ve never dated a blonde, does that mean you’ve never had sex with one?”

“Why? Are you looking to change that?” His eyes were lidded.

“I’d like to.” I slipped a finger into the waistband of his jeans.

“Should we go back to my hotel room, or do you have one?” He looked down. “I’m going to be honest here. I haven’t done this before.”

“Please don’t tell me you’re a virgin.” That would be just my luck.

He laughed. “No. Not saying that at all. I just don’t generally hook up with girls I’ve just met.”

“At least you know my name.”

“I do know your name, don’t I, Cara?”

Something happened to me when he said my name. I needed him. I reached up again, wrapping my arms around him. I crushed my lips into his.

We came up for air only after ending up horizontal on the sand. He laughed. “Or we can just pick things up right here.”

Alyssa Rose Ivy lives in North Carolina with her husband and two young children. Although raised in the New York area, she fell in love with the South after moving to New Orleans for college. After years as a perpetual student, she turned back to her creative side and decided to write.